Local Walmart Workers to Strike Wednesday

Employees to walk out of Ferguson Road store during rally at 4:30 p.m.

Protesting
illegal firings, low wages and erratic scheduling, Walmart workers are taking a
stand this afternoon in Cincinnati by walking off their jobs.

Workers
will protest outside the Walmart on Ferguson Road at 4:30 p.m. this afternoon with
Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune, according to a press release sent out this morning.

Today’s
strike is part of a larger strike movement happening in 20 cities across the
country this week, leading up to the annual shareholder meeting.

The meeting
is this Friday and hundreds of worker shareholders are making the trip to
Arkansas as part of a union-backed workers group called OUR Walmart. They
plan to request a living wage and family-sustaining jobs, calling for the new CEO
Doug McMillion to “take the company in a new direction,” the press release
said.

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According to the Bureau of
Labor Statistics, the average retail worker makes only $21,000 per year and
cashiers even less.

Walmart
employees say they have to rely on food stamps while their company received
$7.8 billion in tax breaks and subsidies in 2013.

OUR Walmart
advocates for a $25,000 base salary for all employees.

“A minimum $25,000 salary at Walmart would not only
help families, it would boost job creation, consumer spending, and the
company’s bottom-line,” the press release said.

The major
employer is currently on trial for worker rights violations involving firing
workers who went on strike last year at the company’s annual shareholder
meeting.

The country’s
largest and most profitable corporation is also tightening its belt; Walmart
took $740 million out of its cost structure in the past year because its
operating income grew faster than sales.

Walmart has
had to make some changes lately in response to worker’s claims.

In March,
the pregnancy policy was updated after an OUR Walmart campaign, allowing for
more accommodations for pregnant women.

In April,
the retailer changed its internal scheduling system, making it easier for
part-time workers to pick up extra shifts online.